Review: The Murderbot Diaries Vol. 1

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Cover image of "The Murderbot Diaries Vol. 1" by Martha Wells

The Murderbot Diaries Vol. 1

The Murderbot Diaries Vol. 1 (Diaries Number 1 and 2), Martha Wells. Tordotcom (ISBN: 9781250389824) 2025 (contains works published in 2017 and 2018)

Summary: The first two novellas in the Murderbot series, All Systems Red and Artificial Condition.

Thanks to my son, I’ve discovered the world of Murderbot. For those not acquainted with this series, it is set in some distant future where space travel between star systems is routine. They’ve figured out how to travel through wormholes reliably. In addition to humans and augmented humans, various “bots” are used including sentient bots. Among these are CombatUnits, ComfortUnits, and SecUnits, providing military, sex, and security. Murderbot is a SecUnit with a difference. After a “malfunction” where he allegedly murdered 57 people it is refurbished by Corporation Rim. However, Murderbot figured out how to hack its Governor Module, by which it is controlled by its owners. It is autonomous, but has concealed this.

This edition combines the first two “Diaries,” “All Systems Red” and “Artificial Condition,” released in conjunction with the Apple TV+ streaming adaptation. I will summarize each of the Diaries separately with some concluding comments.

All Systems Red

Murderbot is under contract for a survey by a group of Preservation scientists, an independent planetary settlement effort, operating outside Corporate Rim, the corporate interest controlling much space travel and settlement. The team is surveying a planet for settlement. Murderbot provides security for a satellite team, working in conjunction with the larger DeltFall station. Sounds like a routine gig until a creature under a crater attacks a scientist, who Murderbot rescues, revealing some of its impressive armaments, as well as its ability to sustain severe damage and survive.

This is only the start. A series of glitches, malfunctions, and data gaps raise questions about possible sabotage. But who is doing it? Then they discover they cannot raise DeltFall on their coms. Most of the team goes to investigate. However, DeltFall has been wiped out, and two of the surviving SecUnits turn on them, along with two others of unknown origin, nearly succeed in inserting a Combat module on Murderbot before the team destroys them. Murderbot is seriously damaged, but while being regenerated, the scientists discover its hacked governor and past history. Yet they decide to trust it, given how well it has protected them.

They conclude they are not alone and that an enemy has sabotaged their systems. They prepare for an attack. Before fleeing the station, they learn that GrayCris, a rival corporation that wants the planet, is offering to negotiate their survival. But they assess this a trap. I’ll leave you to discover how they escape if you’ve not read the series (you already know Murderbot lives on!).

Artificial Condition

Grateful for its protection, Dr. Mensah, the lead Preservation scientist buys Murderbot’s contract and grants it freedom, consistent with Preservation values. But Murderbot promptly leaves and takes a series of transports to get back to the planet where he allegedly killed all those people.

Murderbot meets its match on the last, robot piloted transport. ART figures out who Murderbot is, putting Murderbot on defense until ART proves it is an ally. ART even helps Murderbot modify itself, disguising it as an augmented human. ART helps find a way to return to the Ganaka mines, where the murders occurred. Three scientists formerly employed with Tlacey Excavations, want to get their research back from Tlacey.

From the get-go, it’s clear Tlacey will have none of it. Their transport is sabotagd, and only ART’s intervention saves them. They manage to meet Tlacey only to escape another assassination attempt through Murderbot’s efforts. On a break, he returns to the Ganaka mines and learns the truth. Murderbot and the other SecUnits did kill, but as the result of a sabotage by a rival company. Murderbot didn’t just turn into a killer.

But will Murderbot succeed in getting his clients’ research and get them out alive? and what will Murderbot do with what it learned at Ganaka?

Concluding Comments

What most fascinates me in these novels is the exploration of sentient robots. Equally, the subordination of “bots” to a corporation, making them slaves repeats this old human sin of humans subjugating others. The fact that Murderbot hacks its governor to attain autonomy emphasizes its sentience, and essential drive to exercise its will in freedom. Likewise, the fact that these are Murderbot’s diaries, its interior “thoughts,” underscores this very human quality of being able to talk to oneself, a self-consciousness. While not exactly having feelings, it has a sense of loyalty to agreements, that becomes something more when others treat it with trust and dignity. There is also this drive for knowing the truth about oneself.

However, what does one do in one’s free or down time? For Murderbot, it is streaming massive amounts of videos. I’d be visiting the libraries of the world, reading as much of great works as possible with my augmented capacities. Some might argue these are equivalent. But I would propose that reading activates imagination, in which we create the video, as it were, ourselves. I wonder if Murderbot is capable of that?

The Weekly Wrap: February 1-7

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The Weekly Wrap: February 1-7

Is Book Coverage Dying?

One of the major stories this week was the Washington Post’s decision to lay off three hundred of its staff, gutting international coverage, sports coverage, and shutting down Book World, its coverage of books.

Now many readers loved Book World, and I suspect many cancelled their Post subscriptions for this reason alone. And it is sad to lose a major source of book coverage in the U.S. Capitol. It reflects to me what is, and is not, valued, in this city.

It follows a trend in many other smaller papers, struggling to keep afloat in a changing media environment. However, this doesn’t convince me we are seeing the end of book coverage. Instead, I think book coverage is shifting to different platforms. For one thing, you can bet some of those Post reviewers will be setting up Substack newsletters, or teaming up with outfits like The Metropolitan Review. There is vibrant book coverage in these newsletters, many of which I’ve re-posted here. Of course, there are also dedicated Bookstagrammers, BookTokkers, and of course, us old-fashioned bloggers.

It might mean re-learning some old habits. I’ve found some publishers still think they get their best exposure in print publications and don’t give online reviewers the time of day. Yet, I bet, in almost every publishing genre, there are online platforms far-outstripping print in views, and purchases of books.

I also post several articles that suggest the reports of reading’s death, while concerning, may be greatly exaggerated. So, without further ado…

Five Articles Worth Reading

For those who interested in the shuttering of Book World, and the history of book coverage at the Post, “The Washington Post is gutting its books coverage” gives a good account.

A psychologist who studies narratives of decline argues, with a lot of data to back him up, that reading is not dying in “Text Is (Still) King.“

A Case Western Reserve English professor describes what he learned when he resumed assigning students whole books to read in “Stop Meeting Students Where They Are.”

Thomas E. Miles describes in “A Mosaic” the transformative experience of reading in prison when he enrolled in the Bennington College Prison Education Initiative.

Finally, February is Black history Month. “Celebrating Black History Month” offers a wealth of readings from the editors at JSTOR Daily.

Quote of the Week

American novelist Robert Coover was born February 4, 1932. He said something that both makes sense and I’ve been arguing in my head:

“Language is the square hole we keep trying to jam the round peg of life into. It’s the most insane thing we do.”

To be sure, every time I sit down to write, I bang up against the limits of words to say what I want to say. But while language may be insane, it is one of the things that makes us human. And when God came to Moses on Sinai, he didn’t give him ten experiences or pictures, but rather wrote ten commands on tablets.

Miscellaneous Musings

I’m trying to get through three Lenten devotionals to review before Lent. One is Christ in our Midst (Paraclete) which couples readings with Gregorian chant accessible online. A second is an expanded edition of Bread and Wine from the good folks at Plough. It includes 90 readings covering the period from Ash Wednesday to Pentecost. Finally, Meeting God in John: Inspiration and Encouragement from the Fourth Gospel (Baker) by David F. Ford is a Lenten study focused in John’s gospel.

I finished Robert McFarlane’s Is a River Alive? What a beautifully written book! I’ve decided to follow it with Richard Power’s The Overstory, a work of fiction about forests that I’ve not read.

I love the names of bookstores. A favorite in my own town is “Two Dollar Radio” which not only sells books but serves as the headquarters for an Indie publisher by the same name. One I came across recently was “Beware of the Leopard Books” located in Bristol, England. And all this is really a buildup to an article on one of the iconic bookstores of our day, “The Radical Power of a Bookstore: On Lawrence Ferlinghetti and City Lights.”

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: Martha Wells, The Murderbot Diaries, Vol. 1

Tuesday: Lexa Hale, God Chose Me!

Wednesday: First Nations Version: Psalms and Proverbs

Thursday: Michael Innes, There Came Both Mist and Snow

Friday: Dominique Young, God, Where Are You?

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap  for February 1-7.

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

Review: Mort

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Cover image of "Mort" by Terry Pratchett

Mort

Mort (Discworld, Number 4, Death, Number 1), Terry Pratchett. Harper Paperbacks (ISBN: 9780063393233) 2025 (first published in 1987)

Summary: Mort is apprenticed to Death, who collects dying souls. Mort messes up the timeline when he saves a princess, killing her assassin.

In Discworld, you do not want to meet Death. As you may recall from earlier installments, Rincewind spent much of his time eluding Death. Because Death comes to collect souls of people when they die and to set them onto their destiny in the afterworld. He has bit parts in previous Discworlds. This is his first as a significant character, and this is the first of several of the Death series within Discworld.

But the title character is really the main character here, even if he must constantly remind people of his name. Mort is the teenage son of a farmer who doesn’t want to farm. So, his father takes him to town on the day various tradesmen choose apprentices. But no one wants him. That is, no one wants him except for Death, who comes just shy of closing. The irony, if you know any French, is that mort is the French word for death.

He goes to the home of Death. Two others live there. Ysabell is Death’s daughter by adoption. The other is Death’s ancient manservant, Albert. Ysabell takes a decided disliking to Mort, despite Death’s efforts to promote their companionship

Part of his apprenticeship is to accompany Death to collect souls. He quickly learns he is not to meddle with the fatal destinies of people when he attempts to prevent the assassination of the king of Sto Lat. He learns that theirs is not to decide the time of death or prevent it, but to assist the deceased. But he does not learn this well-enough, and Death, tired of the work and wanting a change, quickly turns over collecting duties to Mort.

One of those he is assigned to collect is the daughter of the assassinated king. A rival Duke is going to kill her. Instead of allowing Princess Keli’s death, he kills the Duke. But he doesn’t reckon with altered timelines. People act as if the Princess is dead, even when she tries to interact with them. She hires the wizard Igneous Cutwell, who can see her, to promote her existence and arrange her coronation. She wants to live and wants to be Queen.

But there is another problem. The real timeline is swallowing up the alternate one. Cutwell can’t stop it but is trying to get her crowned, even if briefly. Meanwhile Mort, as he seeks a solution discovers there may be more to Albert than meets the eye. And he and Ysabell team up. Meanwhile, Death is AWOL, enjoying life as a short order cook.

If you’ve not read this, I will leave it to you to discover how this all works out, as well as if anyone learns to remember Mort’s name. What is most interesting to me is that by and large, the figure of the Grim Reaper is a character without character. Pratchett gives him one, and even gives him a midlife crisis! And since Mort is such an interesting character, I hope he turns up again!

Review: Under Her Wings

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Cover image of "Under Her Wings" by Jennifer Houston McNeel

Under Her Wings

Under Her Wings, Jennifer Houston McNeel. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802885081) 2025.

Summary: A comprehensive study of the mothers mentioned in the New Testament as well as references to motherhood.

What is one topic in biblical studies for which there is significant material but little scholarship? Jennifer Houston McNeel contends that mothers and motherhood is one of those. Some has to do with the space mothers are given in male-written and dominated texts. And then there is the historic dominance of men in preaching and scholarship. This book is an important step in redressing this imbalance. McNeel undertakes a comprehensive study of the mothers who appear in the pages of the New Testament as well as the references, often metaphorical, to motherhood.

She begins by setting the context of mothers in the Old Testament and in Jewish and Greco-Roman culture. The genealogies of scripture emphasize families and every named person, mostly men, had a mother! But the society was patriarchal, though free women had opportunities to manage their households. At the same time, childbirth was perilous, and the purview of midwives and female family and friends. While male metaphors dominate God talk, female images also are used.

Then McNeel turns to the birth narratives, beginning with the four unusual mothers who appear in Matthew’s genealogy. None are conventional. Nor is Mary in Matthew and McNeel likens Joseph to Uriah, the righteous Hittite. He marries her despite the scandal. In Matthew, she is silent. But this is hardly the case in Luke. She engages Gabriel and gives assent, if not consent (McNeel explores the ambiguities in her submission to God’s will). McNeel not only explores the encounter between Mary and Elizabeth but has a fascinating section on Mary as Jesus’ teacher. But how does one mother a grown-up Messiah? McNeel’s next chapter considers John’s portrayal of their relationship at the wedding at Cana and at the cross.

Having considered Mary’s motherhood, the next chapters turn to other mothers in the gospels. First McNeel looks at the accounts of four mothers in crisis: Simon’s mother-in-law, the mother of Jairus daughter, the Syro-Phoenician woman, and the widow at Nain. The one thing in common beyond the urgency of their crises was that none of them are named. These were good mothers, but not all mothers are good. McNeel treats the cases of three mothers which range from ambiguous to evil: the mother of the man born blind who protects her own interests, the mother of James and John, who promotes the interests of her sons (and perhaps herself), and Herodias who exposes her daughter to horror to gain revenge upon John the Baptist. Scripture gives us both exemplars and cautionary tales of motherhood.

Before moving on from the gospels, McNeels considers the metaphors of motherhood associated with Jesus. He speaks of himself as a mother hen. There are allusions to Proverbs Mother Wisdom in his call for people to come to him in Matthew 11:28-30 and he is the logos. Likewise, Jesus uses the imagery of birth to describe the new life he brings. When Jesus speaks of rivers of living water springing from him, the word Jesus uses, koilia, can mean either stomach or womb. Water and blood flow from his side as he gives birth to the church.

Acts is dealt with briefly, because the only references are to Mary, the mother of Jesus, Mary, the mother of John Mark, and the unnamed mother of Timothy. McNeel sees Acts as an interlude in the story of mothers, to become more prominent in the early church. In the undisputed letters of Paul, McNeel finds actual mothers sidelined. Women are co-workers in the gospel mission, playing prominent roles in many situations. But we don’t learn if they were mothers.. However, she observes Paul using a number of metaphors of motherhood. He uses birth pang imagery for the end times and speaks of creation groaning as if in labor. Then he speaks of his own birth and apostleship as untimely. He describes himself tenderly as a nursing mother with the Thessalonians. But he chides the Corinthians for needing milk rather than solid food.

McNeel treats the controversial material material in the pastorals as part of the non-authentic Pauline letters, written at a later time, reflecting the transitional issues facing the church. Meanwhile she notes the commending of Lois, Eunice, and others. She addresses different options for understanding women being saved through childhood, acknowledging problems with all but opting for a straightforward reading of the text, albeit not in individual terms.

McNeel treats Hebrews and the general epistles together, focusing on the faith of Sarah, Rahab, and unnamed mothers. Revelation presents us with the contrast of the virgin and the whore, which may smack of patriarchal norms. Yet Revelation anticipates a new creation where all oppression ends.

The concluding chapter summarizes themes running through this study: new life, suffering, identity, caregiving, and influence. Not only are mothers important in the biblical story, but motherhood images are at the heart of the gospel. This challenges us to combat androcentrism in biblical interpretation.

While I might take issue with some of the author’s ideas about Pauline authorship, overall I deeply appreciated the approach to the study of mothers which foregrounded these women in a helpful way for me. The fact that many women are nameless, in comparison to men, is disturbing. It reminds me that while scripture is both inspired and authoritative, it is also a human document. As a male reader, this book challenges me to notice the portrayals of women. It challenges me to question but also to appreciate. Particularly as a Protestant, we give Mary short shrift. It was illuminating to consider her as the childhood teacher of Jesus. And it was a gift to think of the motherhood images of Jesus, to be “under her wings,” as it were.

_______________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: You Can Trust a God with Scars

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Cover image of "You Can Trust a God with Scars" by Jared Ayers

You Can Trust a God with Scars

You Can Trust a God with Scars, Jared Ayers. NavPress (ISBN: 978164158-9963) 2025.

Summary: For those wondering if God can be trusted, a study of the story of God’s intimate understanding of suffering.

I was in an Old Testament workshop with Dr. Stephen Hayner, former president of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. He introduced the workshop stating that the main question the Old Testament, indeed all of scripture addressed was “Is God good and can we trust him?” There are good reasons many wonder if this is so both in what they see in the world around them and what they’ve experienced in their own lives. Jared Ayers has wrestled with this question personally. But what really brought the thoughts together that form this book were discussions with Daniel, a coffee-shop regular who found out he was a minister, and asked him about his sermon each week.

At the heart of those conversations was a walk through the Christian story. He begins with our deep longing for home and the sense that we are exiles. This is a reflection of how we turned our backs on a loving Creator, who then comes and asks, “Where are you? From here, he explores the currents of our contemporary life. We both rail against God for the rotten shape of the world, yet have to figure out where our sense of justice comes from. Quoting David Bazan, he says, we’ve “killed the captain, but…can still hear his voice.”

So, who is this voice? Ayers takes us back to God’s self-disclosure as I Am, YHWH. He makes the world in love, sticks with Abraham and his descendants, though they make a mess, and reveals himself in Jesus. At the heart of it all is love. Yet we are “miserable offenders,” and much of the mess of the world is one we’ve made. It’s beneath the floorboards of all our lives. Ultimately, God’s solution is to become one of us, “Incarno,” that is, “in flesh/meat.” God stoops to serve, enters into our suffering, and unjustly dies. This is the God with scars who may be trusted.

In succeeding chapters Ayers works out the significance of this identification with human suffering. And he offers reasons why we may believe the victory of the resurrection over suffering and death. Then there is the community formed by his Spirit, with all the messiness that needs perpetual reforming. He concludes with our hope of the return of Christ and how that affords hope for today.

Along the way, Ayers weaves his own story, references to contemporary film, art, music, and literature into a fresh re-telling of the Christian story. He leaves us with questions for reflection after each chapter. Not only does he not blink at the horrid realities of our world. He also shows us a God who didn’t blink but became one of us. God intimately acquainted himself with our condition. And he acted powerfully to show us another life is possible. This is a good book for doubters and skeptics, something all of us are in our most honest moments.

_______________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: Answering God

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Cover image for "Answering God" by Eugene H. Peterson

Answering God

Answering God, Eugene H. Peterson. Harper One (ISBN: 9780060665128) 1991.

Summary: Contends that the Psalms, explored here, are necessary instruction in prayer, understood as answering the God who addresses us.

It is not uncommon, when the questioned “How do I pray?” to say something like, “Just talk to God, expressing honestly what is on your heart.” Eugene H. Peterson, while not saying this is wrong, believes there is a lot more to prayer and praying. First of all, he proposes that praying is a tool. He believes that it is at the center of our being human. More than that, he proposes that prayer is a tool by which God works his will in us and by which we collaborate with that work. For Peterson, the Psalms are our necessary toolbox to train us in how to pray. So it has been throughout church history.

Peterson makes one more startling claim. We think prayer is about talking to God. Rather, he believes the Psalms are about answering God. Instead of our seeking God, God comes to us and speaks amidst our sin, our despair, or even our gratitude. The Psalms coach us in answering God, leading us into true conversation with God.

Before taking us through several Psalms that answer God in various ways, Peterson addresses some basic realities about the Psalms. They are not only texts, they are prayers written as poetry. As such, they take us into the depths of both God and ourselves, giving voice to the inchoate. They are not primarily about understanding ourselves. Rather, they are about addressing the one God who has everything to do with our lives. Furthermore, they are embedded in a canon of sixty-six books, part of a larger story of the People of God. Finally, although we often pray on our own, these are prayers of a community. When we pray these, we are praying with others, across the world and across the centuries.

Peterson begins at the beginning, with the “pre-prayers” of Psalms 1 and 2. Psalm 1 emphasizes meditation on Torah as the roots of our life, our prayers. Psalm 2 then leads us into adoration of the Lord and his Anointed, his Messiah, contrasted with the rulers of this world. Then as he unfolds Psalm 3, Peterson focuses on language. He contends language takes three forms, I being the language of intimacy and relationship, II the language of information, and III, the language of motivation. The Psalms are about Language I. Psalm 3 illustrates this with its cry against enemies, its expression of trust, its cry for salvation. No abstractions here but rather the language of urgent and intimate relationship.

In the following chapter, Peterson reminds us of how Psalms are set in a story–the David story, the bigger story of Israel, and ultimately a story of which we are a part. Both poetry and life have rhythms. Peterson observes for us the rhythms of evening and morning in Psalms 4 and 5. Psalm 4 begins the day in the evening and our rest in God’s care, followed by Psalm 5, with our rising in the morning to God’s work for us in the day. Then Peterson jumps to Psalm 18, observing how God teaches us to pray by metaphor. God is strength, rock, fortress, deliverer, shield, horn, and stronghold. Prayer is not gnostic. God is described but not idolized in material terms, not in spiritual abstractions.

As noted earlier, the Psalms imply a praying community. Peterson notes the liturgical notations in many Psalms. When we pray in community, we recognize that the one who summoned us is in charge. The Psalms are liturgy, but this hardly means bland as we speak the sharp-edged expressions of desperation, repentance, longing, and wonder. Then Peterson turns to the most sharp-edged psalm many of us would excise if we could, Psalm 137, with its dashing of little ones against rocks. The focus is on enemies, and Peterson argues we need to pray our hatred of our enemies before we get to the place of loving them. So this is a Psalm we desperately need.

The Psalms are about memory. We remember our creation, our implication in sin, the country of salvation. Hence, the Psalms give coherence to the disparate aspects of our lives. Finally, the Psalms end in an effusion of praise. We are thus reminded that the end of prayer, the end of life, and indeed, our destiny is the praise of God.

Thus, Peterson sums up the Psalms in ten words: Text, Way, Language, Story, Rhythm, Metaphor, Liturgy, Enemies, Memory, and End. I found that in the concision of these words and the chapters a clear scaffold on which to hang my praying of the Psalms. Peterson not only makes sense of the Psalms without a psalm-by-psalm commentary. He also gives us a primer on Christian prayer, both its purpose, and our primary instructional text. And in introducing the Psalms as the church’s prayer book, he invites us to rise from our merely personal and often idiosyncratic prayers, to pray with both ancient Israel and the church across the centuries.

The Month in Reviews: January 2026

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Cover image for "The Search for a Rational Faith" by Daniel K. Williams

The Month in Reviews: January 2026

Introduction

It has been a cold and snowy January here in central Ohio. So I am hibernating in my book fort (at least figuratively!). One result is the twenty-one reviews that appear here. There are some oldies. one title published in 2026, and a number from last year. Finally, I discovered the scholarship of Dale Allison, Jr in a collection of essays on Jesus. I’ve mentioned the discovery of Catholic theologian Gerhard Lohfink. Two of his books appear here in reviews.

I began the year reviewing a marvelous book on economics from a historical Christian perspective. Then I was inspired by by a memoir of a high school dropout who went on to earn five degrees including a doctorate. I read the first book in my Jane Austen challenge. And I enjoyed two very different books on Ohio towns–Ripley and Urbana. There’s more I could say about other books, but I know you want to see the reviews!

The Reviews

Faithful Exchange, David W. Opderbeck. Fortress Press (ISBN: 9781506467016) 2025. Economic life through biblical and historic lenses with attention to current debates on capitalism versus socialism. Review

Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen. Penguin Classics (ISBN: 9780141439662) 2003 (first published in 1811). Austen’s first novel, contrasting two sisters’ approach to love: common sense judgment versus more emotional sympathy. Review

Prayer Takes Us Home, Gerhard Lohfink, Translated by Linda M. Maloney. Liturgical Press (ISBN: 9780814688069) 2020. What Christians believe about prayer and the various ways Christians pray and experience God in prayer. Review

Nailing It, Nicole Massie Martin (foreword by Carey Nieuwhof). InterVarsity Press (ISBN: 9781514009741) 2025. A challenge to nail “leadership as usual” to the cross, embracing Jesus’ way of suffering service, and the hope of resurrection. Review

The Study: The Inner Life of Renaissance Libraries, Andrew Hui. Princeton University Press (ISBN: 9780691243320) 2024. Traces the Renaissance study through the lives of bibliophiles, artistic portrayals, and the darker side of bibliomania. Review

Marco Polo, If You Can (Blackford Oakes, Number 4), William F. Buckley, Jr. Mysterious Press/Open Road (ISBN: 9781504018524) 2015 (first published in 1981). Blackford Oakes awaits a death sentence in the Lubyanka as a spy, part of a plot to expose a Soviet mole. Review

The Journey of God, J. D. Lyonhart. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9781514009246) 2025. A re-telling of the Christian story in six movements, exploring questions seekers, skeptic, and believers ask. Review

The Man Who Died Twice (Thursday Murder Club, Number 2) Richard Osman. Penguin Books (ISBN: 9781984881014) 2022. Ibrahim is badly assaulted by a teenage thug and Elizabeth’s ex-husband shows up, suspected of stealing diamonds. Review

The Reformed Pastor (Puritan Paperbacks), Richard Baxter. Banner of Truth Trust (ISBN: 9780851511917) 1974 (first published in 1656). On pastoral care, beginning with care of oneself, and then of the people, emphasizing catechesis through visitation. Review

Interpreting Jesus, Dale C. Allison Jr. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802879196) 2025. Six essays on Jesus addressing eschatology, Moses, miracles, women with Jesus, memory, and methods of attestation. Review

Beyond the River, Ann Hagedorn. Simon & Schuster. (ISBN: 9780684870663) 2004. A history of the Underground Railroad line passing through Ripley, Ohio, featuring the Rankin family and other townspeople. Review

How Did They Read the Prophets?, Michael B. Shepherd. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802885418) 2025. A study of Hebrew and Greek interpretations of the canonical prophets including Christian readings. Review

God Looks Like Jesus, Gregory A. Boyd & M. Scott Boren. Herald Press (ISBN: 9781513815510) 2025. In the life, ministry, teaching, and crucifixion of Jesus, we see the embodiment of what God is like. Review

The Common Rule Youth Edition, Justin Whitmel Early. InterVarsity Press (ISBN: 9781514010433) 2025. Eight spiritual habits or practices for teens and tweens to help them grow in their faith. Review

The Search for a Rational Faith, Daniel K Williams. Oxford University Press (ISBN: 9780197748039) 2026. Anglo-American efforts to make a reasoned defense of Christian faith amid the rise of Enlightenment reason. Review

The Emperor of All Maladies, Siddhartha Mukherjee. Scribner (ISBN: 9781668047033) 2025 (My review is of the 2010 edition). A biography of the disease, our understanding of its nature, and approaches to treating it. Review

Eden’s Clock (American Novels, Number 12), Norman Lock. Bellevue Literary Press (ISBN: 9781954276390) 2025. A widowed clocksmith commissioned to repair a clock in San Francisco experiences misadventures enroute and meets Jack London. Review

From Dropout to Doctorate, Terence Lester, PhD. InterVarsity Press (ISBN: 9781514011485) 2025. A personal memoir underscoring the structural obstacles for Blacks in poverty who aspire to advanced education. Review

Jesus and Community, Gerhard Lohfink (translated by john P. Galvin. Fortress Press (ISBN: 9780800618025) 1984. How Jesus fulfilled Israel’s call, first in the contrast society of the Twelve, and then in early Christian communities. Review

Formed to Lead, Jason Jensen. InterVarsity Press | Formatio (ISBN:9781514009901) 2025. Through reflection on Luke 1-4, proposes a vision of leadership rooted in formation of character and spiritual discernment. Review

Paper Girl, Beth Macy. Penguin Press (ISBN: 9780593656730) 2025. A memoir about growing up in Urbana, Ohio and how the town changed in ways that reflects the struggles of rural America. Review

Best Book of the Month

It took a bit of wrangling, but I was delighted to receive The Search for a Rational Faith by Daniel K. Williams. Williams does nothing less than give a historical account of efforts to offer reasons for believing the Christian faith. Not only that, he does this for the whole of American history, back to the English Puritans. He also suggests the intriguing idea that this has contributed to the relative vitality of Christian belief, particularly in comparison with Europe. Implicitly, it makes the case for the continuing importance of this work. For contemporary apologists, the account helps us to see how we stand on the shoulders of those who go before us.

Quote of the Month

David W. Opderbeck offers a scholarly but accessible overview of the history of Christian thinking about economics. In his conclusion, I thought he captures well the contours of truly Christian approach to economics:

“Freedom for generosity and freedom from the love of money and the lust of the eyes is offered in the waters of baptism and at the table with Jesus in the community of his people. Every -ism, including capitalism and socialism, is here exposed as unworthy of devotion. In every time and place discerning the Kairos and listening to the Spirit of Christ, we are called to act with grace and wisdom, affirming but relativizing private property rights, prioritizing the poor, emphasizing fairness, and actively waiting for the coming of Jesus, when God will be all-in-all” (p. 258).

What I’m Reading

My big reading project right now is Israel’s Scriptures in Early Christian Writings. It is a fairly comprehensive study of how Christians used Israel’s scriptures, collecting essays from top scholars in the field. I’ve got about 400 pages to go! I am also delighting in The First Nations Version of Psalms and Proverbs. The work of translating these texts into idioms of First Nations peoples carries a freshness, helping me see familiar texts in new ways. God, Where Are You by Dominique Young is written for especially for those who experience depression, and wonder where God is. She offers some great journaling prompts!

One of my Christmas gifts was Robert MacFarlane’s Is A River Alive. He writes luminously as he describes an expedition up the Los Cedros River in Ecuador (and two other rivers I’ve not yet gotten to). He makes the case that in worldview and law, we ought to see rivers, forests, and other natural elements as living beings with rights, particularly to their own flourishing. Finally, for fun, I’m enjoying one of those manor house mysteries with Inspector John Appleby, written by Michael Innes.

I wish you health, warmth and good books for these chilly nights (or warm nights if you live in the global south!).

The Month in Reviews is my monthly review summary going back to 2014! It’s a great way to browse what I’ve reviewed. The search box on this blog also works well if you are looking for a review of a particular book. Thanks for stopping by. and feel free to share this with others!

The Weekly Wrap: January 25-31

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The Weekly Wrap: January 25-31

Poetry Reading or Readings?

I asked people on my Facebook page “Do you think you appreciate poetry more as written text or when it is spoken?”. Interestingly, most preferred the written text. However, the exception was those who wrote poetry. They preferred it spoken.

Why the difference? From what I can tell, poets have a sense of the cadences, the rhythms of the lines and know better how to convey what they were trying to do. On the other hand, those who enjoy the written text like the opportunity to read the lines over and over again, to study the words, phrases, even how lines are arranged into verses.

I’ve been posting readings of poems weekly on my Facebook page. I won’t pretend to be a great reader. But I’ve had people who don’t read poetry mention that the readings might make them reconsider. But what I would say is that reading poems aloud takes me more deeply into the poem. To read well means paying attention to the sound of words, words that recur, phrasing, which doesn’t always follow the written line or even verse. Then, it means trying to discern the mood and meaning of a poem to give that expression out loud. I have learned how hard this is, sometimes recording a dozen times or more.

Of course, just as with audiobooks, a good reading is everything. One of the most memorable readings, really a performance, was the video of Michael Sheen’s rendering of “‘Do not go gentle into that good night” by Dylan Thomas. It’s intense and he captures the rage in “Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” While reviewing it for this post, I happened to listen to several other different readings, each capturing something different.

Actually, I think both reading the written text and hearing the poetry are important. And with some longer poems, a reading may be hard to follow. Likewise, some poets arrange their text visually in ways not reproducible orally, unless simultaneously projecting the text.

All this is to say, if you struggle to get into poetry, you might try reading it aloud. Or search for someone who has read the poem. Follow along with the text. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Five Articles Worth Reading

The articles I came across this week all seemed to explore what one might call “the big questions.” What was it about the unexamined life?

Jennifer Szalai reviews two books on living a life that matters in “The Longing to Matter Is No Laughing Matter.”

The rise of authoritarian leaders, our brave new technological world, global tensions, and our swiftly warming planet have left many with a lingering sense of existential dread. But this is not new. Livia Gershon explores philosophers and theologians who address this in “A History of Existential Anxiety.”

He was on Colbert this week and turned up on a number of book sites I follow. George Saunders new novel, Vigil is getting a lot of attention. It concerns a ghost who comes to the dying, helping them make sense of their lives and meet their deaths. Julius Taranto reviews the book in “George Saunders Brings Morality Back to Fiction.“

I spent my life as a campus minister longing for spiritual revival to break out on campuses. Recently, there have been upticks in religious activity leading some to proclaim this. Maggie Phillips notes all this and says “not so quick” in “There Is No Religious Revival.” The evidence is not that strong yet.

Finally, Charles Mathewes reviews Jonathan B. Teubner’s Charity After Augustine in “Searching for Solidarity.” The article explores Augustine’s ideas of caritas and how it might help us both understand and address the rifts in our own social fabric.

Quote of the Week

Thomas Paine was born on January 29, 1737. He observed this interesting distinction between reputation and character:

“Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.”

Miscellaneous Musings

I love the idea of being shut in during a snow storm. Except that if you own a home, you have to think about digging out. There was so much snow that it took five sessions to clear it away over a couple of days. All I wanted to do when I came in was warm up, and rest my aching muscles! I think I finally got to that reading romance on Tuesday. So all those lovely memes of curling up with a book while the snow flies–I wish!

Friday was the first day we received a regular mail delivery. But somehow, the folks from Paraclete Press got me Steven Garber’s new Hints of Hope. Steve is a good friend and a profound thinker. And I need some hope right now. Can’t wait to read it!

Just began reading Robert MacFarlane’s Is a River Alive? That is the serious question of the book and MacFarlane is an eloquent writer. For him, rivers are not an “it.”

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: The Month in Reviews: January 2026

Tuesday: Eugene H. Peterson, Answering God

Wednesday: Jared Ayers, You Can Trust A God With Scars

Thursday: Jennifer Houston McNeel, Under Her Wings

Friday: Terry Pratchett, Mort

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap  for January 25-31.

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

Review: Paper Girl

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Cover image of "Paper Girl" by Beth Macy

Paper Girl

Paper Girl, Beth Macy. Penguin Press (ISBN: 9780593656730) 2025.

Summary: A memoir about growing up in Urbana, Ohio and how the town changed in ways that reflects the struggles of rural America.

Beth Macy grew up in Urbana, Ohio, the county seat of Champaign County, about an hour west of where I live. She grew up in a family with a mostly absentee father. As the title suggests, to supplement the family income and have some spending money, she delivered the daily paper to a section of the town and got to know those families well. With the support of her mother, older siblings and teachers, she managed to do well in school. Then she learned of the Pell Grant program, that enabled her to complete journalism studies at Bowling Green State University. From there, she went on to a career in journalism and published several best-selling books.

Her mother remained in Urbana and as her health declined, Macy spent more time there and noticed the dramatic changes in her former home. It came home to her when she met Silas James, a talented graduate from her high school from a similar poor background. She describes his struggle to find hope and his efforts to scrape together the means to enroll in a two-year welding course and cobble together transportation to get there. She wonders why the investment in her education was no longer available for someone like Silas.

And she began to notice other changes. Declining graduation rates. Confederate flags in what was once a Union stronghold and underground railroad stop. Local companies sold to outside or foreign interests followed by layoffs. The paper she delivered and later interned with was down to two issues a week and barely hanging on. Talking to counselors at the high school, she learned of stunning amounts of abuse. There were changes among former classmates and family as well. A former boyfriend, a one-time radical, was deep into QAnon.

This book is both a memoir of growing up, with lots of memories of siblings and friends, and an exploration of the cultural changes and political divides she was encountering. Rather than simply cut off contact with those she disagreed with, including families, she interviewed a number of them as a good reporter. This was not always easy. For example, one sister told her the idea of her son marrying another man was an “abomination.” But she learns about the church and political beliefs that led to these differences. She showed up for homecomings and reunions.

More than that, she weighed how broader changes in the country contributed to the changes in her town. She looks at the gutting of the Pell Grant program, so helpful to her, that resulted in making it so much harder for students like Silas to get an education. She lays blame on both parties for forgetting rural America, except to harvest their votes. NAFTA led to the offshoring that closed factories that were the backbone of small towns throughout Ohio. Drugmakers made huge profits on addictive drugs that destroyed lives and families. And media echo chambers engendered distrust of other media, science, and education.

As she listens, and sometimes argues, she also wrestles with her own contribution to the divides. The last part of the book is titled “Showing Up.” Despite the hits, she keeps showing up with aging sisters, recalling family memories, particularly when her mom passes. And she grieves the death of her ex-boyfriend, who lacked health insurance. He delayed going to the hospital for too long with a case of pneumonia. Through all the discouragement of the 2024 election and its aftermath, she doesn’t give up. Recalling her rural roots, she contends that “We must scramble for hope fiercely, the way a farm girl wrestles with a muddy sow.”

The city where I live is a government/business/education/tech center and has boomed. Politically, it is a blue island. A majority of Ohio’s 88 counties struggle with the same issues as Urbana. I grew up in Youngstown (and was a paperboy). While Youngstown was and still is much larger (59,000 vs. Urbana’s 11,000), I’ve seen the same kinds of changes Macy describes. She helped me understand rural Ohio. Not only does she model a posture of grace for how we show up. She also models the fierce hope we need to lean into. And she makes the urgent case for forgotten rural America.

Review: Formed to Lead

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Cover image of "Formed to Lead" by Jason Jensen

Formed to Lead

Formed to Lead, Jason Jensen. InterVarsity Press | Formatio (ISBN:9781514009901) 2025.

Summary: Through reflection on Luke 1-4, proposes a vision of leadership rooted in formation of character and spiritual discernment.

I’ve noticed that for the most part, those who read books on spiritual formation tend not to read books on leadership. Likewise, readers of leadership books are often not big readers of spiritual formation books. Jason Jensen believes there is ample evidence for the error of compartmentalizing these two things. Sometimes, it may be spiritually deep individuals who do not know how to lead others. But more often, it is evident in the moral failures of gifted and prominent Christian leaders. Rarely does their leadership failure for lack of leadership ability or training. More often it is a failure related to pride, a defect of character, or a lack of integrity, thinking lies and deception can accomplish the work of God.

Jensen has reflected deeply on Luke 1-4, the chapters that describe the formative period of Jesus life. He begins with Luke’s vision of leadership integrity, expressed in the Magnificat and the birth narrative. It is a vision of humility and bold faith in response to the Spirit’s initiative. Out of this emerges spiritual discernment. Thus, Jensen introduces us to themes that will recur in his study. Here we see those who surrounded Jesus reflecting these qualities

Having laid this groundwork, Jensen reflects on other formative experiences. In Luke 3, he considers how the word comes in the wilderness. He explores both our wilderness experiences, and how sought solitude to listen to God may form us. Sometimes, the “wilderness” of our context, particularly when we are out of our depth reveals blind spots and self-sufficiency. Wilderness humbles us, making us more aware of those on the margins.

The wilderness is also the site of Jesus baptism. Specifically, God affirms three important things in baptism: identity as God’s son or daughter, affection as the beloved of God, and God’s pleasure upon the baptized. For Jensen, baptism is also associated strongly with rest or sabbath. In sabbath, we cease doing to allow God to remind us of our identity, and his affection and pleasure upon us. Thus, we work and lead on other days out of this rest and restoration. Finally, for Jesus wilderness is the place of testing both in the abstinence from food and in resistance to the adversary’s warfare. His reflections upon and use of scripture confirms the power of the word that came in the wilderness, and the Spirit who filled him as he entered the wilderness. So it is that he emerges in the Spirit’s power to face illness, demons, and opposition.

Thus, the Spirit’s empowering of Jesus tested character results in spiritual authority. Jensen notes that spiritual authority is integrity, not charisma; love, not authoritarianism; and holiness, not pragmatism. As Jesus spoke from Isaiah 61:1-3, he shared prophecy that shaped his sense of call. Jensen likens calling for us to pilgrimage, in which we learn to attend to the markers along the way. We discern through repentance, intimacy with God, character formation, and the everyday journey of faith. He describes discernment as a “roundabout” way, commending the labyrinth as a practice in which we experience that “roundaboutness.”

Finally, leadership is about dependence and dying. Prayer is to leadership as breathing is to life. We both encounter God in devotion and commit those we lead to God in intercession. Leadership is also a rehearsal of our death. The shadow of death was upon the ministries of both John and Jesus. We live in the realization that we have already died in baptism and are not our own and our hope and consolation is in God alone.

Jensen interleaves his reflections with formational practices and group discussion guides. Rather than either an introspective book for individuals or a how to book of leadership, he gives us a book showing the ways God forms the character of Jesus in us so that he might work the ministry and mission of Jesus through us. This is leadership both rooted in godly character and empowered by God’s Spirit. It is leadership marked by integrity, love, and holiness. May God use this book to raise up such leaders!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.